Public safety personnel, such as police officers, firefighters, paramedics and the like, as well as business critical users such as manufacturing, hospital, and public service workers typically utilize multiple communication devices. While some of these devices may operate on government or enterprise networks with emergency features, others may not.
Public safety communication devices include, for example, mobile radios such as handheld radios and/or vehicular radios along with remote accessories, such as remote microphones, speakers, earpieces, headsets and the like. This type of equipment (considered primary mission critical devices) and the infrastructure to support its operation is typically accomplished utilizing a Private Network governed by a public safety agency. Primary devices for use in mission critical applications often include a user interface having an emergency button for transmitting an emergency alert notification as well as push-to-talk (PTT) capability which allows a worker to request additional back-up resources in high stress situations.
The additional non public safety types of devices often utilized by public safety personnel are considered non-mission critical devices, such as cell phones, personal digital assistants, electronic notepads which operate over a Public Carrier network. These secondary, non-mission critical devices do not provide a user interface for high stress emergency environments.
Public safety personnel often call upon back-up resources in a dangerous situation. However, when PTT voice requests for back-up resources are communicated over a radio system or cellular network, requests may not be heard by dispatchers or work partners due to coverage holes, network congestion, talk-over, or work partner task focus. The public safety worker who presses the emergency button or push-to-talk button to request back-up may not be able to readily repeat the request when operating in a high stress situation. Additionally, the public safety worker may not be aware that the request has failed, further jeopardizing safety.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved communication system which will enhance emergency and back-up requests in public safety applications.